Behold! The new edition of Warhammer 40,000 is upon us mere mortals! The highly anticipated  6th Edition has been circulating in rumour central for months but this is the real deal.

We’ve spent a few hours looking over the details and highlighted some of the glorious changes to what is arguably the most played table top wargame in the World!

This gigantic tome runs at 432 pages long and it’s a fascinating read. It may seem a little daunting to the beginner but the rules span only to page 131 before the book delves into the world of 40k and the culture surrounding the entire hobby. There’s just over  100 pages of background info and another 90 or so pages about hobby related goodness. All this is in detailed colour with fold out pages and oodles of illustrative work from old favourites like Blanche.

The Rules: What’s Changed?

Pre-measuring is now in! The gripe with me with 5th (and versions before) was that advanced armies like Space Marines are equipped with tons of  latest tech but can’t judge an enemy within shooting distance! Movement remains the same with unit coherency exactly 2 inch as before.

Shooting has taken a little of an overhaul  meaning that Saving throws are now taken before wound allocation. Wounds are then allocated to the target unit member closest to the unit that it shooting at it rather than the player removing from the back. Makes sense. There is the inclusion of ‘Snap Fire’ allowing units with some heavy weapons to fire even when moving.  The new shot, “Salvo”, these can  fire at maximum range with a full number of shots if the model carrying it only if that unit doesn’t move, or at half range and with half the number of shots if the model moves.

The Assault rolls remain unchanged but notably models in base-to-base contact with the enemy  get removed as casualties as opposed to models which aren’t.

The much taunted change to the Psykers means that they are split in to psychic disciplines with 7 powers to choice from in each discipline. It makes these guys pretty powerful troop choice to consider although there are some restrictions to what discipline you choose depending on your army.

The other big notable change and potentially the most controversial is allied detachments. Some may argue that it’ll add a distinct whiff of cheese to army selecting. However, this adds a tremendous dynamic to the game and one I’ve been personally hoping for. To add Imperial Guard troop choices to my existing Space Marine army sounds really exciting and it’s up to me to devise a whole new strategic approach. It’ll also inevitably force my opponent to think long and hard about upping their game as well.  Awesome stuff!

Summary

Games Workshop have really have put thought and much engine tweaking to keep on top of the game. To say that this book is essential to 40k players is an understatement. As well what I’ve mentioned in this review, there’s a ton of other rule tweaks and changes I’ve not even mentioned such as Fortifications, Flyers, Lethal Terrain and Warlords. The book oozes with quality and the full colour layout brings to life this superior table top game. All eyes will eventually turn to the Autumn for the release of the boxed starter set but for now, you can’t really go wrong with this comprehensive rule book.

Order the new Warhammer 40,000 Rulebook at  just £36.99: Buy Warhammer 40,000 6th Edition Rulebook

Yep, it’s almost here. Before everyone starts pouring over the new rule book , Games Workshop has been slipping us little pre-launch goodies.

Pre-order your rule book here

The rumour mill has been hotting up for months now and it seems that the big GW have been teasing out what could be the big announcement for the next edition of the ever popular Warhammer 40k.

The latest teaser hints at some big changes to Psychic powers rumoured to introduce game cards system much like Warhammer Fantasy magic.

We shall see in time but July is set to be a massive month for arguably the most played Sci-fi table top battle game in the World.

Most of the time, gaming sessions can sometimes really be enhanced by a little background music. We’re not talking about the dross on Radio 1 playing over a game of Warhammer but rather music that’s tailored to armies marching and charging across the board or role players exploring a labyrinth. Music aids the imagination and also adds an element of the cinematic to the proceedings.

Here’s some great music which Spinning Dice Games suggests you try out for either dungeon exploring or table top wargaming.

Star Wars Episode 1: Duel of Fates – John WIlliams

John WIlliams- Duel of Fates. Forget the film content but listen to John Williams’ epic Episode 1 score that can apply to both fantasy and sci-fi battles without the familiar Star Wars fanfare. What this piece has is a tremendous sense of build up and the dramatic choral sections only help make this a memorable Williams’ tune overall.

Gladiator – Hans Zimmer

A classic choice for wargamers but also not the usual dull Zimmer treatment we tend o hear in Michael Bay movies. Zimmer captures the rage and action of warfare. Essential.

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No.6 Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

If there is one track that I can definitely recommend for those epic melancholic moments in an RPG – Just imagine your character standing on a cliff top surveying a large landscape dwelling on the adventures ahead. Epic!

Mass Effect 1/2/3 – Jack Wall & Sam Hulick

Computer game soundtracks are often overlooked and mostly unfairly by music critics. In my opinion they offer some rich musical interludes for your gaming sessions. Jack Wall provides some electronica and orchestral combination to naturally make a great sci fi atmosphere for RPGs and table top wargaming.

Babylon 5 Series soundtrack – Christopher Franke

As a huge Babylon 5 fan, I’m inclined to say that Franke’s work on the show was excellent and produced one of Sci Fi’s most memorable theme tunes for me anyway. Lots of sci-fi orchestral tracks to choose from which are more often than not for raging space battles so this makes it excellent choice for a game of Warhammer 40k or a space combat strategy table top game.

Ripley’s Rescue – Aliens – James Horner

Humble beginnings for James Horner when he created an awesome theme for Battle Beyond the Stars and then soon moved onto the heights of Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan, Avatar and BraveHeart. He’s the composer of choice for director, James Cameron and decent one at that.

Also try out Brave Heart – For the Love of A Princess by James Horner for those RPG quieter moments…

Honourable Mentions

Ride of the Valkyries – Die Walküre – Wagner

A cliché but classic tune that is famed for its use in Francis Ford Coppla’s Apocalypse Now! It maybe too late to disconnect the tune with the film but for added bombastic effect add a little Wagner into your Table Top-war game just for the fun of it!

The Lord of the Rings Soundtrack – Howard Shore

Shore won multiple Oscar awards for his stellar work on Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings. There’s too many tracks to name from this work that’ll will suit your gaming sessions and I’ll leave it up to you, the reader, to pick and choose your favourites. For those who haven’t heard the entire LOTR soundtrack on CD yet, well, shame on you!
If you threatened to put a fluorescent pink spray can to my miniature collection, I would pick the following as my tune of choice…

The Breaking of the Fellowship – Howard Shore

This reminds me of seeing the The Fellowship of the Ring to the end and thinking that I’ve finally seen one of the greatest films I’ve seen.

Last of the Mohicans: Top of the World – Randy Edelman

Need a rousing tune to sure up your defenses?…

Be great to get your comments and feedback…

More Computer Game Crossovers

Increasingly computer games have had a bigger influence on ‘offline’ gaming. 2011 saw big releases like ‘Gears of War’ for instance making the transition to baord games and HeroClix. What other big IPs can we see making the leap? Well, I’d really like to see much more done in the worlds of Elder Scroll series. Skyrim is a massive gaming hit (Previous versions have done equally well) and in my opinion needs to see much more coverage in card games, board games and traditional role playing.

Sci-fi mega hit: Mass Effect most definitely needs the offline treatment. Someone? Anyone? Makers Bioware were gracious enough to give Dragon Age brand to Role playing game publisher Green Ronin: which they called: Dragon Age: Dark Fantasy Role Playing (greenronin.com/dragon_age/). So why not Mass Effect? The mystery continues but I reckon there would be something in 2012 for Mass Effect fans.

Dust Warfare a Hit

The strategy board game, Dust Tactics has been going strength to strength. However, 2012 sees the release of Dust Warfare. This is a new take on the game which frees it from the grided board of Tactics and allows its whole raft of its cool miniatures to be played freely on the table top!

One of the biggest attractions of the game is commanding large attack walkers in your armies. It is unclear how the rules of the game will evolve but expect flowing game play to say the least. Rumours suggest that each player has commend points to spend during each turn. These points must be spent wisely to gain the upper hand on your opponent. Further pints can be spent on each unit and obviously for attack.

One final comment, with Veteran games designer, Andy Chambers involved we expect great things.

Star Wars Gaming to go from strength to strength

With Lucas releasing the film saga in 3D, the merchandise tie-ins are soon to follow. Episode 1 3D gets its cinematic airing in February but it’s the classic trilogy that the SDG staff are waiting for.

The classic Star Wars franchise comes back to the card game format with Fantasy Flight’s 2012 offering: Star Wars: The Card Game. This living card game features a whole wealth of card options for this co-operative game where the Rebellion must defeat the dark forces of the Empire.

Also on the horizon is a space combat strategy game which promises to capture the fast paced action of Star Wars space dog fights. Personally, I want to play the Tie Fighter squadrons in this set myself but this game is bound to be a sure fire hit. Expansion could be plentiful for this game and we expect a series this year to include Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon and dreaded Star Destroyers.

The Hobbit will rock

You’ve most likely seen the Trailer for the new Hobbit film to be released in December 2012. Expect a plethora of new stuff to come out from CCGs, Board games and other merchandise. Games Workshop are looking to re-energise its Lord of the Rings offering and it should release a table-top strategy game before the film’s release. The Lord of the Rings films released from 2001 to 2003 will most likely have new life breathed through them so new products should be launched including Lego sets and more from WizKids Heroclix range which is already out there.

Lord of the Rings HeroClix Campaign Starter is sold here

Warhammer 40k 6^th Edition released

Another big release for Games Workshop the cards?  Rumblings of the next edition of 40k have been gathering throughout 2011 and it is cited that GW will indeed release the next iteration of 40k doing the Summer.

The supposed 6th Edition box set have had intenet buzz talking of a match up between the Chaos Space Marines and the noble Eldar forces.  The rumour mill has been churning for potential rule changes including turn phase changes to make the action more ‘real-time’ for instance. I’m not going to speculate too much but it’s bound to be a high point for 40k fans!

No official announcement yet but with all the buzz I’d expect it to happen sooner rather than later.